PS 87 PA General Meeting Minutes, September 2022

9/30/2022 1:43 pm

PS 87 Parents’ Association General Meeting Agenda

FRIDAY - 09/23/2022

 

8:30am

Meeting Facilitators: Meredith Thompson& Pam Unger

Board Members: Meredith Thompson, Pamela Unger, Melissa Donovan, Jill Rackmill, Megan Hoffman, Jami DeAngelis, Shoshana Jaffess, Elizabeth Battin, Marguerite Boonzaier, Sarah Emley, Andrea Bryson, Peter Battin, Anirban Dasgupta, Sarah Hansen, Shira Hudson, Lauren Sachs, Sabrina Blum, Gina Cirrito, Lora Martinez & Beatrice Yang

1. Call to order: Pam Unger 8:36am
2. Approval of Minutes from 6/15/2022 General Meeting 

• Vikki and Sarah Approved

 

III. Welcome Back IN PERSON! Quick Board Introductions (5min)

• There will always be a zoom/hybrid method. However, it’s a listen only situation.
• Thank you execs for stepping up!
• Please join a committee and volunteer!

1. Administration Updates from Principal Monica (10min)

• Parent meetings will be held every other month in-person.
• Officer Ayala is BACK! Our school safety agent as of 2009. She is feeling much better. 
• Emily is having medical issues and will be back in December (School Secretary)
• Email Jennifer Stark about all attendance issues.
• If your child tests positive for covid, you still have to report it and email Monica and Jennifer so they can take the proper actions.
• Don’t quarantine if exposed. Only if you test positive. 

• School Population and DOE Funding
• We gained students from last year! We will receive some money from the DOE for the increase in population. 
• Still trying to figure out how to get funds to cover teacher salaries…we have more than 540 seats filled for 2022-2023. 
• The September 29th hearing might result in more funding to cover costs. 
• TAs are here for Kinder, Recess Monitors, Donica in the Library, etc. Thanks!!!
• Middle Schools! There’s a strong possibility that screening for Middle Schools is coming back. Once we know more, we will share with families. Jennifer will be the point person for Middle School questions and Center School for 4th. 
• Jennifer Stark is your point of contact for all things for the school!
• School Construction Status
• New Windows, New Front Doors, New Roof, and Boiler Project. One more heating season requires the use of the temporary boiler. 
• We have a new Project Manager and he seems interested in getting the renovations and overall project moved along. Project likely to take until Summer 2023.
• All small tiles are being replaced (9x9) because they have asbestos. By 2023, all tiles with contaminations will be replaced. Department of Facilities is incharge of this task, so it will be a faster project (likely). 

Questions: 

Elisha - 

• Nature's Classroom happened pre-pandemic. It was 4 days and overnight. So we are looking for something special to replace it.
• Cluster Teachers - steam 2x per week vs Science 2x per week in second semester 

Laura -

• Sibling Priority? Nothing has been said about this for Middle Schools. No details given about Middle Schools other than “screens will come back”.

Sarah - 

• Number of Students? 540 to 650(ish?) But the number isn’t exact yet. Pre-pandemic we had about 889 seats. 
• Kinder is capped at 25 seats and currently are at 22. So there are “seats”. 
• 1st - 27-28 seats
• 2nd - 25 seats
• 3rd - 27-28 seats
• 4th - 27-28 seats
• 5th - 22 seats
• This number/drop in students is not unique to PS87. There has been a city-wide drop due to the pandemic.
• We take kids at all points in the school year. There can only be 32 kids in 1st-5th and 25 in Kinder. Those are the DOE designated caps. 

Justin - 

• In past years we have paid for two teachers. Do we need to do this?
• Answer is “no”. It’s not enough of a need, though we would love more staff. We need funds for enrichment first, more TAs, etc. We want to spend the money so that funds are used “for the Kids” first.

Question - Andrea

• Hornet Exterminator? 
• We think there is a hive. So no eating outside. Playing will happen outside, but eating food will take place in the cafeteria. 
• Neighbor on 78th says there is a Wasp Hive. So let's ALL call PARKS. Hive is nearest 129 78th Street.

1. Afterschool Report (5min) - Stacy

• Afterschool Board Members for 2022-23 Angelina Arlia, Stacy Cousino, Ian Wildenborg, Penny Coates, Rob Bauer
• Available Afterschool opportunities for new students

• 380 students are in afterschool out of the 650(ish)
• 62 activities being offered this fall

Andrea - Post Covid waiting period activities?

• No distancing is required anymore in between after-school things

Eliz - Great Work!!!

1. Presidents’ Update (5min) 

• Happy Birthday to Officer Ayala

• Smother her with love! Wednesday the 28th is her birthday. Please have kids make a card! But please don’t bring in “treats”.

• K and 5th Grade Rep Approval

• K - Sabrina Blum
• Lora Martinez and Bea Yang 
• Approved at 9:07am

• Book Fair

• Need people and volunteers to reach out to Pam - 3pm Friday 23rd
• Broadway Night - we have three people, but need volunteers!

1. Treasurer’s Update (Peter/Anirban) - (5min) - SEE FINANCIALS BELOW

• Peter
• Two Updates - Approved our budget last JUNE, but we are projecting 522K vs expenses of 640K AND final JUNE Numbers. 
• 300K Family Giving
• 100K family 
• Green Flea - 15K
• 501 - in-school expenses
• 97K - Other supplies
• Non school Expenses
• 532 K expenses in June - biggest expenses for Spring Fair.
• Looking at CDs and Treasuries to get some interest in our Chase accounts. 
• 892K is available for the PA
• Dance for 19K was our largest single expense. 

Monica has not come to us for more funding (yet)

 

VIII. Harvest Fest Updates (10min) - GIna 

 

• October 29th 1-4pm in the BIG YARD!
• Harvest Fest AND Spring Fair
• Corporate Fundraising
• Harvest Fest Details:
• October 29th 1-4
• Please show up because we made 23K last year!
• Need Volunteers Day of and for Prep!
• Tickets sales with QR Codes
• $25 for 1 
• $40 for 2
• $50 for 3
• Haunted Maze is back
• Sweet and Savory so come hungry with cash
• Need a face painter at Laguardia?? Art Teachers??
• Music/Come Join the Band (After School)
• Gear Sales
• Photo Station
• Payment options will be cash and trying to do Venmo
• Wristbands make the most money. Bake Sale and Food is the only extra Money Maker. 
• This is OPEN to the community and public! Post of Facebook and Meetups!
• Auction
• Sarah is absent so Gina Presents
• Saturday March 23rd and Rodeph Sholom
• “Escape to the Tropics” theme

VIIII. Membership Events (5 min) - Marguarite

 

• Incredible 1st “Morning Meetup”!

• Next morning meetup is October 21
• Continuing to support volunteer sourcing for Harvest Fest
• You can always come to us for involvement and we will point you in the right direction and get you on the right committees and volunteer groups. 

1. Auction (5min) - Look at Harvest Fest

• Saturday March 25th at Rodeph Sholom - The Schafler Forum
• Theme: “Escape to the Tropics” 

1. Other Committee Updates or Other Business (10 Minutes)

Regine - One Family Under the Sun Culture Community Chair

• DEI Task Force is now “One Family Under The Sun”

 

Presidents on behalf of Megan

Get excited about events that are upcoming. NDI, Art Farm, Center for Architecture, Symphony Space, and Chess Ballroom Dancing, Phili Trip, Jazz and Lincoln Center, Paper Bag Players, etc…

 

Megan is looking for helpers since she is transitioning out. And if you are interested in helping provide these super fun experiences to our children, please reach out to the enrichment committee who is always looking for help. PA-Enrichment@ps87.info

 

We should have the following programs this year:

K & 1st: National Dance Institute 

1st: Art Farm

2nd: Center for Architecture

3rd: Symphony Space and Chess

4th: Ballroom Dancing and Philly Trip

5th: Teachers are researching ideas

 

In addition, we are hoping to welcome in our longstanding partners from Jazz at Lincoln Center, Thunderbird Dance, Bio Bus, Silver Music, Paperbag Players and many others.

 

PS 87 is lucky to have a wonderful Enrichment program. This program requires a lot of funds. So please, volunteer for Harvest Fest and Auction and donate to Family Giving.   

 

Jill Rackmill - CEC Updates

• NYC has 32 school districts
• CEC is an Elected Partially-Appointed body of parents.
• Superintendent has to come and appear before these elected officials and this is the venue at which parents can be heard. Example - D3 advocacy for more desirable High Schools. 
• Thursday Sept 29th at 7pm on Zoom. Email came out from Laura about this.
• Jill is an informant! Not an advocate for other parents.
• Jill is moving on from PS87, so please reach out if you want to take over. 

Jami and Shoshana - Comms

• BPN (Back Pack News)
• Website coverage with Boris - he migrated us to the Membership Tool Kit App. Amazing!
• School Calendar - Color Coded by 4 types of events for filtration options.

• Who is approving Facebook: Working on it
• BPN deadline to get things posted is end of day Friday of each week
• Insta plans? No. Pictures of students is not going to be okay. 
• Photo and video permissions will be discussed with Moncia for Auction Fundraising Content. 
• Next Meeting is October 20th on Zoom Only for the General 

 

IIX. Adjournment: 9:42am

Post Meeting, Sarah met: Rob Fruchtman - Video robfru@gmail.com and he’d like to help with the 2023 School Auction Video.

Financial Screenshots from Treasurers’ Reports

COMMS UPDATES VIA EMAIL SEPT 14 2022

Hi all!  Fun night last night!

 

If you didn't get a chance to glance at our presentation, we want to highlight three things about emails for this year.  Action items are in RED with yellow highlights!

 

Thanks so much!

PA Comms

 

Of course we will work with you these first couple weeks to adjust to a cut off, but please think ahead to next week's activities and any comms you may need.  This will help us manage the number of emails that get sent out each week as well as the channels that could be used (i.e. facebook, BPN, CPLs, etc).

 

 

Whichever sender profile is used to "send" the email is where the replies will go.  Comms sent out many emails for people last year and used the Comms profile since not everyone is listed, so we then managed many replies for people.  Currently the only board profiles that are set up to to show as the sender of emails are:

   -Comms

   -Presidents

   -Family Giving

   -Fundraising

   -DEI Task Force

   - a number of individuals but we would prefer committee emails

 

If you will be asking Comms to send more than 2 emails on your behalf this year and you are not on this list, please email me so we can get you set up in Membership Toolkit.

 

 

Anyone who is willing to do your email drafts in MT so that Comms can just review and send will get a GOLD STAR (or candy)!!!  We often get very "unfinished" emails that we then spend alot of time tinkering with to get them to look ok in MT.  Most common issues are no salutations, missing contact information, missing closings, missing zoom links, odd size/color fonts, and assumptions on the graphics that we can use.  If you will be asking to send more than 2 emails this year, please sign up for training with PA Comms so you can be an MT email champion and control the look and feel of your emails!  Sign up here! Email Training with PA Comms